By: Jake Bienvenue

SPOKANE, Wash. --- The No. 25 George Fox women's basketball team bounced back from last night's loss with an 86-78 win against tough conference opponent Whitworth University.

Recap:

Haylee Hutzler had it going early, managing to find the bottom of the net for five quick points around the three-minute mark to help push the Bruins to an early 10-6 lead.

Down 19-15 with just over two minutes left, the Bruins rattled off six straight points to finish the first quarter on a high note. They held a narrow 21-19 lead heading into the second quarter.

The second period of play was competitive as the teams scored back and forth, remaining close to even with five minutes left in the half.

The duo of Kaitlin Jamieson and Tavin Headings caught fire on the back end of the second quarter, scoring all 11 points of an 11-2 run that gave the Bruins a solid lead heading into the half, 42-32.

The Bruins wasted no time capitalizing on their momentum in the third quarter as they were able to find the bottom of the net at will. A deep ball from Hutzler and a pair of layups from Emily Holder pushed the lead to 16. Keeping their foot on the gas pedal, Kylin Collman and Haley Strowbridge each hit a three to put the Bruins even farther ahead. They held a 63-41 lead towards the end of the quarter.

The Pirates would not go down easily in the fourth quarter, crawling back to within six points for a chance to steal the game with just over two minutes left.

Shortly after, Hutzler hit a dagger from three-point land to all but erase Whitworth's chance of taking the game as the Bruins held a comfortable 80-71 lead.

The Bruins ended the game with an eight-point margin, 86-78.

Top Performers:

Jamieson had a monster double-double in the winning effort tonight, going for 21 points and a dominant career-high 14 rebounds. Hutzler chipped in a career-high 19 points to go along with nine rebounds and three assists, while Headings found her way into double figures as well, tallying 11.

What It Means:

The Bruins move to 5-1 in conference play after tonight's solid win and 12-3 on the season.

What Comes Next:

The Bruins continue their string of conference games on the road Friday, Jan. 19, traveling to take on Pacific (Ore.) at 6:00 pm.